McClatchy News Service
CAIRO — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that attacks on Saudi oil facilities over the weekend were an Iranian “act of war” and called the Houthi’s claim of responsibility “fraudulent.”
“We were blessed that there were no Americans killed in this attack, but any time you have an act of war of this nature, there’s always risk that that could happen,” he said before arriving in Saudi Arabia.
Pompeo added that the U.S. intelligence community has “high confidence” the Houthis do not possess the weapons used in the attack.
“We’ve seen no evidence that it came from Iraq. It could have well have traveled over Kuwait, we’ve not seen that,” Pompeo added.
Saudi Arabia is leading an alliance of Arab nations fighting against Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by Iran.
Tensions mounted in the oil-rich region after drone attacks, repeatedly claimed by the Houthis, struck major Saudi oil facilities operated by Aramco over the weekend.
Ahead of Pompeo’s arrival, Saudi Arabia also said the attacks did not originate from Yemen and were “unquestionably sponsored by Iran.”
“The Iranian regime attacked the facilities with 18 drones and seven cruise missiles, including three that landed short and did not reach their final destination,” Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, told a news conference.
He said that the range of the cruise missiles was 700 kilometers (435 miles), which means that they could not have been fired from inside Yemen, and that they were launched from the north towards the south. Iraq and Iran are to the north of the kingdom.
At the news conference, al-Malki displayed remains of the alleged Iranian cruise missiles and drones used in the attack.
He added that “the findings of the investigations show the attack was systematically and intentionally planned to destroy civilian infrastructure.”
Riyadh and Washington have repeatedly blamed the attack on Iran, a regional rival of Saudi Arabia, though Tehran has denied the charge.
Iran renewed its denial of involvement in the attack in an official letter to the U.S., the Iranian news agency IRNA reported on Wednesday.
“Iran has nothing to do with the attack,” states the letter, which was delivered to the U.S. via the Swiss Embassy in Tehran. Switzerland represents Washington’s diplomatic interests in Iran.
“If action is taken against Iran, we will promptly retaliate and the dimensions would not be limited,” Tehran wrote in the letter, according to parts of it published by IRNA.
The letter was delivered to the Swiss Embassy on Monday, according to the agency.
The Saudi state news agency SPA, citing an unnamed Defense Ministry official, reported that the alliance would cover the vital waterways of the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandab, the Sea of Oman and the Gulf.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the attack a “real test to the international community’s will in confronting subversive acts threatening international security and stability,” in a telephone call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, according to SPA.
French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke with Mohammed by telephone on Wednesday and agreed to send French experts to Saudi Arabia to help investigate the cause of the attacks, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace.
The United Nations said Wednesday that it is also sending a team of experts to look into the incident. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in New York that the team was already on its way.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter.
The attacks will not impact the kingdom’s oil revenues, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said Wednesday.
“These attacks have no impact on the financial and economic aspects,” the official added on the sidelines of an economic forum in Riyadh.
The Kuwaiti army announced on Wednesday that it was raising its state of combat readiness as part of “precautionary measures that should be taken amid ongoing circumstances in the region.”
The presidency of the general staff said the decision comes in order to “preserve the security of the country and the safety of its lands, waters and spaces against any potential danger,” according to the official news agency Kuna.
It added that the army is carrying out air and naval exercises with the highest degree of combat readiness and efficiency.
The Houthi rebels, who claimed responsibility for the attacks on Aramco, on Wednesday threatened to attack the United Arab Emirates.
“We have scores of targets in the United Arab Emirates, including in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and they could be hit at any time,” said Houthi spokesman Yahia Sarie.
The UAE is a main partner in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
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PHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): al-Malki
